Lajos Bebrits
Encyclopedia
Lajos Bebrits was a Hungarian
communist newspaper editor and politician. He is best remembered in the United States as the long-time editor of Új Előre
(New Forward), the Hungarian language
newspaper of the Communist Party USA
. Bebrits was deported by the United States government in 1932, living in the Soviet Union
until the end of World War II
. He was arrested during the Great Terror
in 1938 and spent 21 months in prison before being released through prosecutorial review of his case. After the end of the Second World War, Bebrits returned to communist Hungary, where he was elected a member of parliament.
village in western Romania
, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Between 1923 and 1932 Bebrits lived in the United States, where he served as the head of the Hungarian section of the Communist Party USA
and on the editorial staff of Uj Előre
(New Forward), the official organ of the Hungarian-American communist organization.
Bebrits came under scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Justice as a resident alien communist and was deported to the Soviet Union
in 1932. In 1934 he wrote a book on the differences between life in the United States and Soviet Russia.
In 1938, during the Great Purge
which swept the USSR, Bebrits was arrested on charges of espionage, accused of having participated in a "Trotskyist
conspiracy." He remained in prison for some 21 months, fortunately gaining his release in 1939 due to prosecutorial review of the evidence in his case.
Following World War II, Bebrits returned to Hungary
, where he served as State Minister for Transport and Post and as a member of the National Assembly.
In 1957, Bebrits was named Hungarian ambassador to Sweden
, Norway
, and Iceland
. He remained in that post for two years.
From 1959, Bebrits served as head of the Hungarian National Tourist Board, retiring from that post in 1962.
. He was 72 years old at the time of his death.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
communist newspaper editor and politician. He is best remembered in the United States as the long-time editor of Új Előre
Uj Elore
Új Előre was a Hungarian language communist newspaper published in New York. Új Előre was founded as a continuation of the Hungarian socialist newspaper Előre, which had been founded in 1905....
(New Forward), the Hungarian language
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
newspaper of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
. Bebrits was deported by the United States government in 1932, living in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was arrested during the Great Terror
Great Terror
Great Terror may refer to:* Reign of Terror , a period of extreme violence during the French Revolution, last weeks of which are sometimes referred to as the Red Terror or Great Terror...
in 1938 and spent 21 months in prison before being released through prosecutorial review of his case. After the end of the Second World War, Bebrits returned to communist Hungary, where he was elected a member of parliament.
Early years
Lajos Bebrits was born December 14, 1891 in TeregovaTeregova
Teregova is a commune in Caraş-Severin County, western Romania with a population of 4388 people. It is composed of two villages, Rusca and Teregova.-References:...
village in western Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Political career
Bebrits joined the Social Democratic Party of Hungary in 1917.Between 1923 and 1932 Bebrits lived in the United States, where he served as the head of the Hungarian section of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
and on the editorial staff of Uj Előre
Uj Elore
Új Előre was a Hungarian language communist newspaper published in New York. Új Előre was founded as a continuation of the Hungarian socialist newspaper Előre, which had been founded in 1905....
(New Forward), the official organ of the Hungarian-American communist organization.
Bebrits came under scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Justice as a resident alien communist and was deported to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1932. In 1934 he wrote a book on the differences between life in the United States and Soviet Russia.
In 1938, during the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
which swept the USSR, Bebrits was arrested on charges of espionage, accused of having participated in a "Trotskyist
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
conspiracy." He remained in prison for some 21 months, fortunately gaining his release in 1939 due to prosecutorial review of the evidence in his case.
Following World War II, Bebrits returned to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, where he served as State Minister for Transport and Post and as a member of the National Assembly.
In 1957, Bebrits was named Hungarian ambassador to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. He remained in that post for two years.
From 1959, Bebrits served as head of the Hungarian National Tourist Board, retiring from that post in 1962.
Death and legacy
Bebrits died August 9, 1963 in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. He was 72 years old at the time of his death.
Works
- Tisztelt elvtárs!... USA. vagy USSR? (Comrades!... USA or USSR?) Moscow: A Szovetunióban élő külföldi munkások kiadóvállalata (Publishing Society of Foreign Workers in the USSR), 1934.
- Négy ország viharaiban. Bebrits Lajos élete. (Four Storms of the Country: The Life of Lajos Bebrits) With Gyula Kékesdi. Budapest: n.p., 1967.